Robin Williams’ legacy will shed light on dementia, says widow

Robin Williams‘ widow, Susan Schneider Williams, says that the late comedian’s onstage persona was a far cry from his true character — and that the real Robin would be happy to know he’s making a difference after his death.

“The Robin that I knew was not the crazy, manic one who would be performing on stage for comedy or sometimes in his roles as an actor,” she said in a trailer for “People Icons: Gone Too Soon,” airing Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. “I think that’s commonly a misconception, is that Robin was always running at that speed. And that is not the man that I knew. That’s not the man I fell in love with.”

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Schneider Williams recalled, “Robin was a quiet, intellectual man, sometimes playful. But primarily what moved him was the fact that he was an observational genius. If you can imagine the energy that he would bring to the stage — no one can do that full-time. And I think the brilliance behind that impact of energy he would bring was because in his time off, he was someone who was contemplative and an observational genius.”

The actor committed suicide at 63 in August 2014 after a battle with Lewy body dementia that went undiagnosed until after he died. The disease made Robin lose his memory, as well as his ability to control his emotions and anxiety before his suicide.

“Robin’s real legacy will unfold in the decades to come and really shed light on brain disease as a whole, but particularly dementia, which 47 million people worldwide are suffering right now,” she said.

Schneider Williams concluded that she wants other Lewy body dementia sufferers “to know that they are not alone, that this is what Robin Williams had and they’re being heard, they’re not outcasts. The way I see it, he truly is on that back nine going, ‘I got this,’ where he made people feel not alone before. They don’t have to feel alone now.”